KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs personnel discussed injuries, the upcoming game with the Ravens, and backups during a presser on Wednesday. Following is a transcript of the event.
VICE PRESIDENT OF SPORTS MEDICINE AND PERFORMANCE RICK BURKHOLDER
“Eric Fisher, on the Friday before the Raiders game, had what looked to be a groin injury late in the practice. We listed him as questionable, and then he played in the game and only played briefly. We have since consulted with Dr. (William C.) Meyers in Philadelphia (Pa.) and Eric is on his way to see Dr. Meyers now with the intent of having that core muscle injury repaired tomorrow. We’ll keep you updated as that unfolds. Thank you.”
HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Just a couple of other things on the injury front. Tyreek (Hill) is the same. He’s making improvement, but the same. LeSean McCoy has an ankle sprain and Damien Williams has a bruise on his knee. We’ll just see how it goes here with time. We look forward to the challenge of playing the Ravens. We know that they’re a good football team and we’ll get ourselves right this week. It starts today. We’ll go out and practice and go through the steps it takes to get ourselves ready to play. With that, time’s yours.”
Q: Did Fisher hurt himself further by trying to play on Sunday?
REID: “No.”
Q: What does it say about Fisher that he tried to play on Sunday?
REID: “It’s a tribute to him. He didn’t hurt it any worse. It’s just one of those deals.”
Q: How did Cam Erving do in filling the role at LT?
REID: “I thought he did a good job. He saw the game. Started off with a little shaky one there at the beginning, but after that he finished it up really well.
Q: Are there any conversations about potentially placing Fisher on IR?
REID: “We’ll just see how it goes.”
Q: What are your thoughts on returning to Arrowhead Stadium for the home opener on Sunday?
REID: “We love playing here. We have great fans. They’ve traveled all over the country here, literally, to watch us play the last couple of weeks. It’s great to have it here at home where we’ll get Arrowhead packed up and ready to go.”
Q: What is the plan for LeSean McCoy and Damien Williams today?
REID: “McCoy might do a little bit, but Damien won’t.”
Q: What traits does Ravens S Earl Thomas III have that could complicate what you’re trying to do?
REID: “You’re talking about an All-Pro player. Good football player. Smart. He’s a good player, playing well right now.”
Q: Is their defense still playing the same way as before, even with new players?
REID: “They’re similar. Scheme is the same. They do a great job of replacing guys. That’s what they’ve done. They’re playing at a high level.”
Q: What have you seen out of Ravens QB Lamar Jackson?
REID: “I liked him a lot coming out of college. I mentioned that back then. He’s playing well and does a lot of things well. Everybody kind of goes to his run game, but he can throw the football. He’s doing it with accuracy, and he does it from all of the different levels. Whether it’s in the roll-out or in the pocket, he’s got it down.”
Q: Did the team surround Jackson with more talented offensive players this year, compared to what their offensive personnel was last year?
REID: “I think it’s him. He’s got talent around him, for sure, but the way that he’s playing – it’s slowed down for him, he sees it. His reads are great. He is doing all of those little things that end up being big things. He’s got command of that offense.”
Q: How dangerous is the play-action offense that the Ravens show?
REID: “They have a good runner there, or two. They can pound it and then they take advantage of that with the play-action game.”
Q: Is it now more difficult to prepare to face the run-heavy offenses in today’s NFL?
REID: “Listen, most defensive guys start there. That’s where they start, with the run game, and then they kind of progress into the pass game. I don’t think that part has changed that I can see. You talk to the defensive guys and they are already listening to the defensive coaches when they talk: “We’ve got to stop the run.” I think it’s still the same thought there. Even these RPO teams. They’re running the football first and then coming back to throwing the football.”
Q: A general football question, first. If you score a touchdown and are down one point in the last minute of the game, you have to decide to either kick the extra point or go for two. When you’re making that decision for what you want to do, is that more of a gut call or do you maybe use data? What are the different factors that you consider?
REID: “You have all of that, plus you have a feel of how the game is going. I guess that would be the gut call. You evaluate where you’re at and the elements, everything. You put it in a hot-burner and you come up with it. Analytics are also a part of it.”
Q: It seems like there has been a little bit of a rise in teams going for two. Has there been a reason why teams seem to be doing that?
REID: “Probably situational. If they feel like they can score, they’re going to do it. Analytics are big. A lot of people use those and go by them.”
Q: Are you comfortable with where Darrel Williams is in the pass protection aspect of the RB responsibility?
REID: “He’s sharp. He is a very intelligent kid. We’re not worried about him. I look at him like he’s a starter. Played last year for us. If he has to get in and play, that’s not a problem at all.”
Q: Does your level of comfort change if Darwin Thompson is the RB that has to go in and fill a role on offense?
REID: “Not really. As long as I feel like he knows what he’s doing, I’m good with it.”
Q: Is there a challenge that Thompson faces size-wise? Does he have to maybe be more technically sound?
REID: “I was around Brian Westbrook for a number of years and they’re the same size. Brian would come up and fill in as well as anybody. This kid is wired like that. He’ll stick it up in there and hit you. It’s just a matter of seeing it. He’s young, so he hasn’t seen everything that there is to see. But he’s getting there. I feel comfortable with him in there.”
Q: What did you like most about your defense from Week 1 to Week 2?
REID: “I think this is probably general of the team. We get the two drives that took place, we easily could have hung our heads. I think they stepped up and put their foot down and said, ‘Listen, we’re not doing this. We’re going to tighten this thing up here. I was impressed with that. Very easily that could have gone the other way. They didn’t do that, so there was a little bit of team building there and a certain mentality that you like to see from a coaching standpoint. Overall, they’ve done better against the run than what we were doing before. We have to continue on getting better. I think the more familiar we get with the defense, I think it picks up a little bit.”
Q: What is it about Patrick Mahomes that makes him so special in ‘do or die’ moments?
REID: “The simple answer is that he makes plays during that time. He doesn’t shy away from it. He’s got a knack for that. The guys around him trust in him that he is going to do something. The one you’re talking about with Tyreek (Hill), Tyreek never quit on that play. He kept working. That’s the trust. That’s where that trust comes in between the two of them.”
Q: You have a connection with John Harbaugh from your time with the Eagles. Is there anything special you’re feeling heading into this week?
REID: “He’s a phenomenal coach and he’s a good friend. I had that last week, too (laughter). It’s the same. I love playing against him because I know that they’re well-coached and that they have good players. We do this for the challenge of that experience on Sunday. I look forward to always playing those guys. But when you’re going, you’re kind of into the game and what you have to do adjustment-wise.”
Q: With Fisher out, would there be a possibility of moving Mitchell Schwartz over to fill in at LT?
REID: “Cam (Erving) has practiced there and done that. We’re comfortable with Cam in there. But, we do have that flexibility to do that if we need to.”
Q: Ravens WR Marquise Brown gets a lot of comparison to Tyreek Hill because of his speed and his size. Do you see some of those similar traits in Brown that you saw in Hill when he was coming into the league?
REID: “He has good speed, quickness. It looks like he and the quarterback have a good relationship, which is important in that. He is a talented kid.”
Q: What do you see in Dustin Colquitt that has provided him the opportunity to break the franchise record for career games played in this Sunday’s game?
REID: “He keeps himself in great shape. He works at his craft. He comes from a family that understands this, with his dad and his brother being a part of it. He works it and he keeps his body right.”
Q: Did you see any progression from your CBs from Week 1 to Week 2, particularly with their ability to create turnovers?
REID: “I was happy for that. Turnovers are a big part of this game, in general. For the fact that they played the ball well in the air, I thought that was good. There was another part of that with the pressure. I think all of those things kind of came together. The main thing was that they made the catch and played the ball well.”
Q: Is that an area in which this defense can grow?
REID: “That, and we’re young. That is one of the younger spots there.”
Q: When the run game isn’t as productive, is there as much urgency to make sure that you have that going as maybe there was five, ten years ago?
REID: “You want it to go. That’s not something that you don’t want to work. If a defense is doing that, then it’s hard for them to do everything. We don’t care. If you’re going to do that, then we’re going to do this. We don’t fight that. We’re not going to bang our head against a wall in that. The trick is trying to find what is going to work at that time, whether it is run, pass, whatever it is.”
Q: What do you know about Greg Senat?
REID: “I don’t know much. I know he showed up today and that (Brett) Veach likes him (laughter). I haven’t had a chance to see him do his thing.”
Q: If Brett Veach comes to you and asks if you’d like to add Jalen Ramsey to the team, what would your answer be to that?
REID: “Brett does all of that. He allows me to concentrate on the football part. That’s just where we’re at. Speculation, I don’t go there with all of that.”
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: Can you talk about the excitement for the home opener?
MAHOMES: “The whole team is excited to be in Arrowhead. The young guys are excited to see what it’s like in the regular season even though the preseason was just as hyped. We’re excited to be home and we get to play a great opponent and we get to go out there and represent the Kingdom.”
Q: With Cam Erving replacing Eric Fisher, what did you notice with him getting in with the offense?
MAHOMES: “Yeah Fish (Eric Fisher) got out there and gave it a try and that’s all you can expect from him. If something goes wrong then it goes wrong, but he was trying to get out there and fight with the team and when Cam (Erving) came in, that’s the good thing about the whole O-line room, we have depth there and guys can come in and do their job and keep me protected. I feel like he did a great job coming in and filling in well.”
Q: A lot happened when you played Baltimore last year, what do you remember and what stands out about them now?
MAHOMES: “They do a lot of different things and they do a lot of different things well. That’s the biggest thing, they’re very sound with what they do. They don’t have a lot of breakdowns. They have a really good defense, they have a great offense and great special teams. It’s going to be a great challenge for us and I’m glad we get to play them at home.”
Q: Earl Thomas said he plans to eliminate all big plays, is that possible for one guy to do that?
MAHOMES: “They have a great defense and Earl (Thomas) has been a great player for a long time. For us, we’re just going to try to do our job, move the ball down the field whatever way possible and hopefully hit some of those plays.”
Q: What stands out to you about Earl Thomas?
MAHOMES: “He’s obviously very smart. He’s physically very gifted. He can do a lot of different things. He’s able to recognize routes and break on them fast. You see that type of stuff and you think there’s times where you can shoot some balls into some different seams and he makes plays on them. He’s a guy that’s been doing it for a while now and he has a lot of talent.”
Q: You had that 4th-and-9 conversion against the Ravens last season. In your short career, is that one of your favorite throws?
MAHOMES: “That was probably my favorite one given the situation, just giving the guys a chance and Tyreek making a great play on it and ending up winning the game at home. That pretty much gave us home-field advantage last year in the playoffs and everything like that. It was one of my favorite throws, if not my favorite so far.”
Q: How did you have so much composure in that moment?
MAHOMES: “I don’t know if I would call it composure, I looked the wrong way first. I just kind of made something happen after that. Just trying to find a way to win. When you’re a competitive guy and they’re (your teammates) really good, you have to find a way to get the ball out of your hand and let them make plays for you.”
Q: You won’t be going up against Lamar Jackson directly, but what is the matchup like for you?
MAHOMES: “It’s going to be a great experience. We got to play last year once. Seeing his progression with the understanding of the offense, I mean, I understand going from year one to year two. There’s a huge switch understanding the offense at a different level and it’s let him have more success as a passer. He’s always had talent and it was about learning the offense and he’s done that now and obviously with his running ability, he can still do that. It will be a great challenge, like I said, and their whole team is great in every aspect of the game and I feel like we are too. So it will be a great opponent to start off with at home.”
Q: The Ravens are among the league leaders in quarterback pressures. What is it about their scheme that allows them to put that pressure on you guys?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s that everyone does their job. I think that’s the biggest thing with this whole team with the Ravens. They’re going to be sound with it. They’re going to bring pressure, but there’s not going to be breakdowns in coverages at the same time. They know what each guy’s role is on the defense, so it may not be one guy they have rushing, but they have a lot of very, very good players that are going to do their jobs the right way and trust each other.”
Q: Was there anything you did this offseason to improve your throw accuracy and how do you think you have grown since you entered the league?
MAHOMES: “The biggest thing that we did in the offseason was just throw with guys more and more and you learn with the guys where you need to put the ball and where they like the ball the most. You build those relationships with guys and going into last season, I had been with these guys, but I hadn’t really worked with them for half a year to a year. So now, just having another offseason where I was able to work with the guys and get that timing down has really translated well on the field.”
Q: Do you think your accuracy is not as high as you would like at this point?
MAHOMES: “I don’t know. I kind of just go out there and play and as long as you’re playing football games and you’re winning, usually good stuff happens.”
Q: Referring back to that play last year against the Ravens, when you’re trying to make stuff happen when it’s that down and distance, do you make that throw if it’s not that type of situation?
MAHOMES: “Probably only on fourth down would I make that throw across the field like that. I mean, I would throw something across the field but not just chucking it down the field like that. It was a fourth-down play where we had to make something happen and I’m not running for it, so I throw it out there and guys make plays. Tyreek came back to the ball, cut off the linebacker and made a great catch.”
Q: How do you resist the urge to not do it on other plays?
MAHOMES: “You make the mistake once and you know that feeling, so you try not to do it again.”
Q: You won’t have Tyreek Hill, Eric Fisher is hurt, running backs are a little dinged up right now. How good do you think you can be when this offense is not at full strength? Do you have any concern when the backup guys come in?
MAHOMES: “None. Those guys have worked as hard as anyone to be ready for their opportunities and you saw last week D-Rob (Demarcus Robinson) and Mecole (Hardman) and those guys and I have the same trust in everyone on the team. We put in the work this training camp. Everybody is getting reps, everybody is running these deep routes or running the ball from the backfield and I trust that we’re going to have the guys ready to play on Sunday.”
Q: Did you do anything fun for your birthday?
MAHOMES: “I had dinner on Monday night. That’s kind of my little cheat day. And yesterday I studied, so it was fun, I guess.”
Q: What has Tyreek meant to the receiver room since he has been out?
MAHOMES: “It’s hard to keep him off the field. Every time he’s walking around the place it looks like he’s shaking the sling or out doing whatever and you’re like you need to rest for just a second. But, that’s just the mentality he has. He wants to be out there, he wants to be competing with his brothers and we’re excited to get him back whenever that happens.”
Q: A lot of quarterbacks have gotten hurt and it’s the reason some of these new guys are playing. Do you feel like your success has helped people believe more in quarterbacks coming out of those systems and what that could mean for the future of the NFL?
MAHOMES: “I don’t know if it’s necessarily my success or the success of the offense in general and as coaches have first come into the league from spread out offenses or whatever you call it, we have intertwined into NFL offenses of old. I think it’s a mixture of that, that’s helped guys be able to come in the league and have success when they get their opportunities.”
Q: What have you learned from a guy like Dustin Colquitt who has been in the league, takes care of himself and performs when called on?
MAHOMES: “Like you said, Dustin takes care of his body at a very high level. He gives me tips and stuff like that whenever stuff happens or whatever the case. He’s a great mentor or whatever you want to call it, to have, for someone who has done it the right way and who has been around the league for a long time.”
Q: Tips on food?
MAHOMES: “Tips on taking care of your body. Everything. That man has a tip for everything, I’ll tell you that.”
Q: Is there anything you’re telling these guys during the week to get them ready to go when it will be their turn?
MAHOMES: “I think we just built that trust that if they’re open, I’m going to get them the ball no matter who it is on the field.”
P DUSTIN COLQUITT
Q: What does it mean to you to know you could be the all-time record holder for most game played in Chiefs history?
COLQUITT: “I’m just excited that after that second quarter you asked me a question because of that crazy display of offense we had in Oakland. That was fun to watch on the baseball diamond. It’s exciting that I got to sit across the locker room from 68, Will Shields, for two seasons and got to pick his brain and see how he worked. It’s interesting he would be sitting in his game locker with his glasses on like asleep before a game, not asleep, but just in his zone. I remember watching him on the field in training camp and stuff like that and then you see him on a game day and it’s like a calm before the coolest kind of storm you could see. For us to be tied right now, its exciting for my family and me. It’s cool that I can share this with him. I remember asking for his jersey in 2005 and he goes ‘I don’t do jerseys until I’m done, that’s bad luck,’ and sure enough as soon as he retired, he showed up and gave me his jersey, signed and everything and I have it in my basement. I remember I didn’t have to ask again either, he’s that kind of guy. It’s fun seeing how he did it and trying to replicate that kind of career. Obviously, he was every down except the fourth-down guy and I’m a fourth-down guy, so he was in the trenches.”
Q: Do you think Patrick Mahomes has helped prolong your career?
COLQUITT: “I think there’s more punchline jokes for when I do get to punt, but I think so. Anytime you’re not working as much, but at the same time every kick, hold, snap, punt, everything is more under the microscope and more important and more kind of going to affect the game. It’s been fun watching that offense. You can’t get too caught up in it because then you’re running 90 yards to the hold because you don’t know when he’s going to strike. With the recent influx of 17 (Mecole Hardman) in there now, we just have these guys that are playing ball and executing. It’s Andy Reid’s mind coming alive on the gridiron, so it’s really fun to watch.”
Q: When did you become aware you were in line to break this record?
COLQUITT: “I knew the years were adding up and getting close. I had to sit out two games from a surgery in the offseason of 2008, I guess I had kind of been there, but I knew it was coming because I remember with Will (Shields) towards the end of his career he could dunk a basketball, he could do all kinds of things and I thought ‘this guy could play for another 30 years if he wants,’ that’s what it seemed like. If you look now, he is still doing the same stuff. So, I think as I got into that 14th/15th year, and I got great reminders. The PR department here is great and I don’t want to name names, but Brad would come down and be like ‘you’re one game away on this inside the 20 record this year’ and I’m like ‘wow, I need that information.’ I’m just in the game trying to give our defense 90 yards, he is like ‘you just need one more, try to get it and you’re like this great.’ He’s like a sports psychologist rolled into one in a PR guy.”